Columbus Crew sign Heath’s Keegan Hughes
Former Crew Academy and Stanford University center back Keegan Hughes has signed a two-year homegrown deal with the Crew.
Hughes’ contract runs through 2024 and includes options for 2025 and 2026. A native of Heath, Hughes entered the Crew Academy in 2013 and played at every level of the academy, including two seasons as captain in 2017-18 and 2018-19, before playing at Stanford. Hughes was the Academy Player of the Year in 2018.
The Crew have four Crew Academy products on their roster, as Hughes joins Aidan Morris, Isaiah Parente and Sean Zawadzki. As a center back, Hughes will provide valuable depth, particularly if coach Wilfried Nancy wants to play with his preferred formation with three center backs.
“We are thrilled to welcome another Crew Academy player to the first team,” general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a statement. “During his time at Stanford, Keegan proved himself to be one of the top defenders in the collegiate game, and we are excited for him to return home to central Ohio.
“This signing is a testament to the tireless efforts of (Academy director) Kelvin Jones and the Crew Academy staff. The Academy has continued to provide a pathway to the professional ranks as we cultivate and develop top youth talent in the state and region. We look forward to working with Keegan as he takes this important next step in his career.”
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At Stanford, Hughes started all 73 games he appeared in and he missed just one game over four years. He scored eight goals and had seven assists.
As a senior, Hughes was a captain for the Cardinal, helped lead Stanford to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and was part of a defense that recorded nine clean sheets in 20 games. He was a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, one of the most sought-after individual awards in collegiate soccer, was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and was named both a first-team All-American and the National Scholar Player of the Year by United Soccer Coaches.
With the signing of Hughes, the Crew have 24 of 30 roster spots filled for the 2023 season.
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